Most watched chess tournaments of all time
FIDE World Championship 2021 is the most watched chess tournament ever with 613 439 peak viewers; 2024 FIDE World Championship leads by hours watched with 12 537 768. Peak viewers is the highest concurrent audience across every channel that broadcast the event, hours watched is the total viewer time.
Top 25 by peak viewers
| # | Tournament | Peak Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIDE World Championship 2021 26.11.2021 – 10.12.2021 | 613 439 |
| 2 | FIDE World Championship 2023 09.04.2023 – 01.05.2023 | 572 396 |
| 3 | 2024 FIDE World Championship 25.11.2024 – 12.12.2024 | 518 260 |
| 4 | FIDE World Cup 2023 30.07.2023 – 24.08.2023 | 380 518 |
| 5 | Chess.com Pogchamps 3 14.02.2021 – 01.03.2021 | 375 110 |
| 6 | FIDE Candidates Chess Tournaments 2024 04.04.2024 – 22.04.2024 | 337 613 |
| 7 | Opera Euro Rapid 06.02.2021 – 14.02.2021 | 283 318 |
| 8 | Twitch Rivals Chess.com Hand & Brain Showdown 02.03.2021 – 03.03.2021 | 262 632 |
| 9 | Chess World Championship 2018 09.11.2018 – 28.11.2018 | 260 115 |
| 10 | Esports World Cup 2025 29.07.2025 – 01.08.2025 | 259 353 |
| 11 | Norway Chess 2025 26.05.2025 – 06.06.2025 | 251 184 |
| 12 | FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2024 30.12.2024 – 01.01.2025 | 233 304 |
| 13 | Speed Chess Championship 2024 27.06.2024 – 09.09.2024 | 223 227 |
| 14 | PogChamps 6 7 10.04.2026 – 11.04.2026 | 222 870 |
| 15 | Speed Chess Championship 2022 23.11.2022 – 18.12.2022 | 222 112 |
| 16 | World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2021 26.12.2021 – 30.12.2021 | 220 835 |
| 17 | Speed Chess Championship 2023 04.09.2023 – 22.09.2023 | 210 289 |
| 18 | FIDE Candidates 2022 17.06.2022 – 04.07.2022 | 204 135 |
| 19 | New in Chess Classic 24.04.2021 – 02.05.2021 | 197 612 |
| 20 | Twitch Rivals Chess Hand & Brain Showdown 26.08.2021 – 27.08.2021 | 195 093 |
| 21 | Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals 09.08.2020 – 20.08.2020 | 193 856 |
| 22 | Skilling Open 22.11.2020 – 30.11.2020 | 188 788 |
| 23 | Champions Chess Tour Finals 2024 17.12.2024 – 21.12.2024 | 184 375 |
| 24 | Chess.com Pogchamps 5 26.07.2023 – 19.08.2023 | 182 042 |
| 25 | Esports World Cup 2026 11.08.2026 – 15.08.2026 | 181 638 |
Most watched chess tournaments in 2026
| # | Tournament | Peak Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PogChamps 6 7 10.04.2026 – 11.04.2026 | 222 870 |
| 2 | Esports World Cup 2026 11.08.2026 – 15.08.2026 | 181 638 |
| 3 | FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 29.03.2026 – 15.04.2026 | 168 874 |
| 4 | Norway Chess 2026 25.05.2026 – 05.06.2026 | 124 245 |
| 5 | Chess Olympiad 2026 16.09.2026 – 27.09.2026 | 102 359 |
Most watched tournament each year
| Year | Tournaments | Most watched tournament | Peak viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 85 | PogChamps 6 7 | 222 870 |
| 2025 | 131 | Esports World Cup 2025 | 259 353 |
| 2024 | 75 | 2024 FIDE World Championship | 518 260 |
| 2023 | 40 | FIDE World Championship 2023 | 572 396 |
| 2022 | 52 | Speed Chess Championship 2022 | 222 112 |
| 2021 | 51 | FIDE World Championship 2021 | 613 439 |
| 2020 | 57 | Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals | 193 856 |
| 2019 | 41 | King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2019 | 48 045 |
| 2018 | 10 | Chess World Championship 2018 | 260 115 |
Top 25 by hours watched
| # | Tournament | Hours Watched |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 FIDE World Championship 25.11.2024 – 12.12.2024 | 12 537 768 |
| 2 | FIDE World Championship 2021 26.11.2021 – 10.12.2021 | 12 334 174 |
| 3 | FIDE World Championship 2023 09.04.2023 – 01.05.2023 | 11 165 202 |
| 4 | FIDE Candidates Chess Tournaments 2024 04.04.2024 – 22.04.2024 | 9 661 125 |
| 5 | FIDE World Cup 2023 30.07.2023 – 24.08.2023 | 8 254 566 |
| 6 | FIDE Candidates 2022 17.06.2022 – 04.07.2022 | 8 249 857 |
| 7 | Chess.com Pogchamps 3 14.02.2021 – 01.03.2021 | 6 981 229 |
| 8 | FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 29.03.2026 – 15.04.2026 | 6 521 160 |
| 9 | Chess World Championship 2018 09.11.2018 – 28.11.2018 | 5 773 683 |
| 10 | Opera Euro Rapid 06.02.2021 – 14.02.2021 | 5 215 114 |
| 11 | Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 15.01.2022 – 30.01.2022 | 4 833 280 |
| 12 | Tata Steel Chess 2023 14.01.2023 – 29.01.2023 | 4 780 121 |
| 13 | Chess.com Pogchamps 05.06.2020 – 19.06.2020 | 4 760 290 |
| 14 | Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021 13.03.2021 – 21.03.2021 | 4 599 646 |
| 15 | FIDE World Cup 2021 12.07.2021 – 05.08.2021 | 3 876 030 |
| 16 | Speed Chess Championship 2024 27.06.2024 – 09.09.2024 | 3 768 154 |
| 17 | FIDE Candidates 2020 Second Half 19.04.2021 – 28.04.2021 | 3 685 077 |
| 18 | 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 11.09.2024 – 22.09.2024 | 3 661 087 |
| 19 | World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2021 26.12.2021 – 30.12.2021 | 3 530 094 |
| 20 | Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2021 16.01.2021 – 31.01.2021 | 3 406 258 |
| 21 | Skilling Open 22.11.2020 – 30.11.2020 | 3 399 009 |
| 22 | Champions Chess Tour 2023 Finals 09.12.2023 – 16.12.2023 | 3 374 637 |
| 23 | FTX Crypto Cup 23.05.2021 – 31.05.2021 | 3 181 446 |
| 24 | Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals 09.08.2020 – 20.08.2020 | 3 167 432 |
| 25 | New in Chess Classic 24.04.2021 – 02.05.2021 | 3 148 085 |
For organizers, sponsors and media
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- Every channel and co-stream, with hours watched and airtime
- Viewers by hour, day and stage
- Languages × platforms, with peaks per day
- Sponsor and brand exposure on stream
- Comparison with previous editions and the year's events
- Live dashboard while the tournament runs
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Book a callMost watched chess tournaments FAQ
What is the most watched chess tournament of all time?
By peak viewers, the top 5 chess tournaments are:What is the most watched chess tournament in 2026?
PogChamps 6 7 (10.04.2026 – 11.04.2026) with 222 870 peak viewers so far this year.Which chess tournament has the most hours watched?
What is the difference between peak viewers and hours watched?
Peak Viewers is the highest number of people watching at the same moment across all channels covering the tournament. Hours Watched adds up the time every viewer spent watching over the whole event — a long tournament can lead by hours watched without ever setting a peak record.Which platforms count towards these records?
Live broadcasts on Twitch, YouTube and Kick, official streams and co-streams alike. Older events may also include platforms that carried the broadcast at the time, such as Facebook Gaming. Chinese platforms are not included.